Flowers in the window
by Vintage Lover Who
Summary: The playground could be a dangerous place, and nobody was more aware of it than Philip Wilson. But it could also be a place full of wonders when you find yourself immerse in great adventures, amicable company and 'flower girls'... Set in the same 'verse of "New kid in town" but it can be read separately.


_So in response to the popular demand, here's the second take on my "flower series", featuring small versions of our favourite characters. This time it's Philip and Amy's turn. Hope you all enjoy it!_

FLOWERS IN THE WINDOW

DAY 1

The playground could be a dangerous place, and nobody was more aware of it than Philip Wilson. He had seen tens of kids fall and hurt themselves by the swings or the jungle gym, and many more get sick after eating the contents of the sand box, all that without counting the ones hurt because of a careless play by the slides.

But little Philip had promised himself he wouldn't be one of those kids. So when he was dropped in the park and told to play with the others while his mother went and bought the groceries, he was determined to stay away from anything that seemed even remotely dangerous.

Since he arrived, he saw many children doing reckless things, from launching themselves from the swing set, to running barefoot and fighting. He gulped at the scene in front of him but decided not to feel taken aback. Instead, he took a seat by one of the benches, careful to clean it first, and observed the kids that enjoyed their stay in the playground.

He was looking at all the familiar faces, switching between the quiet neighbours and the local bullies, when he stopped his gaze over a particular one. That child seemed to be the most carefree in the world. She wore flamboyant floral dresses, as well as a flower in her hair and was playing hopscotch with that Kieren Walker boy and some other kid Philip couldn't recognise. The girl however seemed very confident and made quite a show whenever she did okay in the game. Philip couldn't help but smile when she managed to do a big jump and celebrated it. She was jumping and dancing around and she locked eyes with him, smiling. Philip froze in his place, unable to do anything else but staring.

The little girl got back to the game and Philip remained seated, his whole body still frozen and his mind in awe. Who was that wonderful girl who had just smiled at him and why hadn't he noticed her before?

The time passed as he tried and tried to remember her name but he just couldn't do it. When Shirley came to pick him up, he left the playground feeling like the worst person ever.

* * *

DAY 2

Shirley's car had barely stopped in front of the playground when his son stepped out of it in an evident rush. She couldn't help but feel a little concerned since there were few things that could get Philip that impatient, but she was relieved as well to see that his child was finally attempting to make friends, maybe he already had a few since he was so eager to get out of the car.

Philip barely paid attention to his mother's usual warnings to be good and stay out of trouble. Instead, he ran to the place where he had seen the fascinating girl the previous day and approached cautiously to the bench at which he sat.

But there was nobody there. The playground was as crowded as usual, still the girl seemed to have banished. Philip was about to start asking himself if he hadn't imagined it all when he heard an unmistakable laugh coming from the swings.

And there she was, wearing another one of her distinctive dresses and being pushed gently by Kieren while she urged him to do it harder. The bigger kid Philip had seen hanging with them was now standing by the swings' side, smiling discreetly at the action going on in front of him and keeping a close eye on Kieren; the look he was giving was so full of silent admiration and tenderness that Philip felt rather uncomfortable, like he was witnessing something too intimate and not meant for him at all.

He was so immerse in his thoughts that when the girl's eyes met his, Philip held her gaze for longer than he had meant to. His sudden realisation forced him look away, which made the girl giggle.

Philip quickly strode back to the bench of the previous day trying to put his thoughts in order. This girl confused him; she was so straight-forward, so confident but she also seemed fragile to him. He wanted to protect her, to alert her about the dangers of the playground but he was fairly certain she wouldn't listen. Nevertheless, he had to find a way to talk to her, at least to warn her. Of course he wasn't trying to make friends; he had never been good for that and although he didn't hold a personal grudge towards Kieren Walker, he knew the boy wasn't the most popular kid in Roarton and if Gary ever found out he had any kind of interaction with the child, he might start bullying him as well.

But Kieren Walker's reputation was the least of Philip's worries at the moment. He was more concerned about the other boy. He seemed older in a strange way; it wasn't just his height or the oversized jumpers he always wore, it was something else in his eyes. Those eyes were the ones of a grown-up and bore looks that Philip had only seen in older people like his mother when she was really stressed. There was no way he was approaching the girl with that boy around.

Nevertheless, Philip's curiosity did nothing but grow and as he saw the rest of the children play, he plotted an alternative to get to know her better. There had to be a way, and Philip was determined to find it. By the time his mother picked him up, Philip had already developed most of his plan and was eager to act on it.

* * *

DAY 3

There were few things that could make Philip actually lose his temper and one of them was the rain. He hated it and the way it made the grass uncomfortable and prevented him from going out.

That day was raining and Philip couldn't be more pissed. No matter how many things he tried, Shirley wouldn't take him to the playground, arguing that every other kid in Roarton would be locked inside and he'd be alone in the park. As much as Philip didn't want to be alone, he also didn't like having to wait another day to put his plan into action. But there was nothing that could be done; he'd have to wait until the next day to finally approach the girl. And giving it a second thought, perhaps it was better that way.

* * *

DAY 5

It had stopped raining. Finally, a ray of lazy sunlight made its way between the cloudy skies over Roarton to warm the population for as long as it could trick the fog. Philip sat eagerly on the playground's bench. The kid population had decreased significantly compared to the days prior the storm but he felt confident.

And that confidence proved to be founded when he descried Kieren and the gang playing with a Frisbee that seemed to belong to the older boy, who participated animatedly in the game, sending the vibrantly coloured object to the girl that Philip was so curious about. Now it was all a matter of precision.

Philip was proud of his plan and, unknowingly, the dark-haired boy had made it all easier by bringing his flying toy. Philip made his way towards the older boys in the playground, all commandeered by Gary. Philip wasn't what you would call a coward but he appreciated life enough to steer away from Gary's path as much as he could, but this time he needed the older boy to make his plan work. He approached shyly, trying to hide a knowing smile when he asked if he could join the mini rugby game going on between the older boys.

"Get out, Wilson. Only grown-ups allowed" snapped Dean at him, who always felt like he had to stand up for his 'team', but Gary cut him off.

"It's alright, Dean. You can join if you promise to behave and not cry, Wilson".

Philip smiled, judging unnecessary to add anything else and positioned himself strategically, trying to figure out the best angle to make it all work. It was all very simple now. He just had to wait for Gary to throw the ball in his direction, pretend not to catch it so it would fly over his head and intercept the Frisbee. Easy peasey.

It didn't matter how many times he played it over in his head, Philip could've never foreseen the actual outcome of his big plan. The ball was thrown by Gary with much more force than needed and it indeed flew over Philip's head, but instead of hitting the Frisbee, it collided against somebody else's head, someone who was meant to be out of the equation at least for the first part of the plan.

The smile that adorned the girl's face soon faded as the ball made contact with her nape, making her stop her mad race for the Frisbee and bringing her to the ground, concerned expressions contorting her friends' features. Kieren and the other boy forgot the Frisbee and ran to help the girl up.

A burst of laughter was Gary and his team's response to the events. Gary was almost on the floor, his whole body shaking with laughter and Dean was already in tears and holding his stomach. This was definitely not what Philip had wanted.

"Amy! Amy, are you alright?" Kieren shouted as he frantically checked her friend's head for injuries. The older boy was crouched beside them, holding the girl's hand and staring at her, concern evident in his eyes. Philip remained frozen in place.

Suddenly, Kieren got up from the floor, a deep frown on his face. He approached Gary and the others as the dark-haired boy helped Amy sit up and recover by the side of the sandbox. Gary's laughter intensified when he saw Kieren striding towards him.

"Is this funny to you?" asked the boy, enraged.

"More than you can imagine, Rotter. Now go back to your girly games and let the boys have the real fun", retorted Gary in a cynical manner.

Kieren balled his hands into fists. "I'm not leaving until you apologise"

Gary's small crowd started laughing again. "Me, apologise? It's your silly friend who should apologise. _She_ was standing in the way of _my_ ball"

"I don't care what you think, you're apologising to Amy right now", demanded Kieren, his usually pale face red with anger.

Gary raised a brow and stepped forward, pressing his chest against Kieren's, who was significantly smaller. "Or what?" asked the boy defiantly.

"Or I'll make you"

Philip felt sick. This was never meant to hurt her, not even her friends. And now the girl that so thoroughly fascinated him was sitting on the ground rubbing her nape in pain, her beautiful dress covered in dust. Kieren Walker was about to get into a fight and all of it was because of him and his stupid plan. Why couldn't he had just approached and said hi?

Philip didn't know what to do. He wanted to go and push what's-his-name away from the girl; it should be _him_ rubbing her back and assuring her everything was going to be ok. He also wanted to stop Kieren Walker before he and Gary started a fight he was responsible for. After all, and even if Kieren wasn't precisely his friend, nobody deserved to be hit or pushed, and violence had always upset Philip. And most of all, he wanted to turn back time to prevent himself from starting this whole thing.

Still, there was a small voice in the back of his head that told him everything was ok, that the plan had actually been a success. _Amy, her name is Amy_. That was what the small voice repeated incessantly, and as much as the pandemonium before him worried Philip, he couldn't help but feel warm in that hidden spot of his being.

Kieren didn't falter for a second when Gary grabbed him by the arms, clutching tightly to his hoodie. The smaller child pressed back, his hands on Gary's shoulders, both boys pushing as hard as they could against the other. Still, Gary had done this thousands of times, even to boys twice his size, so he was used to it, but Kieren wasn't so lucky.

Slowly, the gravel beneath his feet started giving away, becoming slippery and making it harder for Kieren to maintain his balance. A triumphant smile spread across Gary's face, knowing victory was just a few pushes away. It was just a matter of taking a step forward and…

"Kieren, stop!"

As if the pleading had been directed to him, Gary stopped on his tracks, both Kieren and him looking back trying to find the source of the plea. Amy was already on her feet and staring at the quarrelling boys.

"Leave it, it's not worth it. Please come back"

The look in her eyes spoke a thousand words and Kieren reluctantly let go, pushing Gary's hands off of him and walking to his friends. Gary on the other hand, remained in his spot, hands on his hips and a sufficient smile on his face.

"Told you he was a coward. Let's go, boys, we've got more important things to do", he expressed as he reunited with his own group of friends.

"Well done, Gary! Next time let's hit Kieren Rotter on the face instead" cheered one of them. They were already heading to a far corner of the playground when Gary turned back towards Philip, who was at the time little more than a nervous wreck.

"Hey Wilson! Well '_played_'; we'll be seeing you 'round"

The boys finally left, their laughter fading as they did. When they disappeared around the corner, Philip felt relieved; relieved and guilty. If it hadn't been for him and his silly plan, Kieren and Gary would've never fought and Amy wouldn't have been hurt, and even worse, now Gary thought he was a bully just like him. Tears welled up in his eyes and he went to hide behind a bush until it was time for him to go home.

* * *

DAY 10

Almost an entire week had passed since the incident and Philip didn't feel like going to the park, but Shirley had things to do and she never let him stay home alone, and she was definitely not going to start now; if the playground was dangerous, an empty house with a lonely child inside could turn into a nightmare. So when she ushered her son to the car and found out he didn't want to go, she tried her best to ignore the sinking feeling inside of her. And just when she thought he had finally made some friends…

Since the first moment he set foot on the gravel, Philip ran to the bush where he hid after the failure of his plan, determined to stay there until Shirley came back but he found it was already occupied by someone else. A pair of indescribable eyes looked back at him, standing out from pale skin and rosy cheeks. That look held thousands of meanings but the most evident ones were curiosity and distress. Philip forgot how to breathe for a while.

"Are you here to bully me again?"

The voice otherwise cheerful and carefree of the girl sitting before Philip was now full with uncertainty and he would've given even his most precious toy to wipe that note of unsettlement from it. He shook his head desperately as he tried his best to find his voice. The effort didn't seem to satisfy the girl.

"I don't believe you. You hang with Gary and the others, and they're always pushing people around, so why wouldn't you?"

Philip's brain seemed to have more important things to do than supply an answer for him and the boy was already getting frustrated. He closed his eyes tightly and took a few deep breaths, speaking only after the last intake of air.

"I am…not like them"

The frown on Amy's face smoothed a bit but she still seemed wary as she asked: "What's your name?"

"Philip Wilson", replied the boy, articulating carefully every single letter.

"I am…"

"Amy", exclaimed Philip triumphant without even thinking about it, blushing furiously afterwards. Nevertheless, the girl smiled shyly, making Philip blush even harder but for a different reason this time.

"Yes, Amy Dyer. Want to sit here, Philip?"

The boy returned the smile, sitting beside Amy when he sensed something odd. "What about your…friends?"

"Simon is sick and Kieren is grounded. His mum found out about the fight", replied Amy, half disappointed, half resigned.

Philip processed the new information, making sense of it. _Simon_…so that was the mysterious child's name. He was still refleting on it when Amy started talking again.

"I told him not to do it but he never listens to the beautiful genius", she said sufficiently, gesturing to herself. "And Simon got really wet last time we were playing by the bird bath. It didn't help that he never takes off those big jumpers of his".

Philip smiled wholeheartedly at Amy's remarks. She spoke about her friends as if they were her children. It was just as if she was older and had to look after them, putting up with all of their endeavours.

"So what do you like doing, Philip Wilson?" asked Amy, accentuating Philip's name.

Suddenly, everything he liked doing seemed silly and uninteresting. He tried hard to think about something not so boring to tell Amy but at the end he gave up and told the truth. "I…like reading and watching the telly, and you?"

Amy's face lit up. "I like flowers and dancing and playing with small cars and reading and painting and dressing up and going on adventures with Simon and Kieren"

It all seemed like quite a big deal. It was evident that Amy was always full of energy and plans but there was something else that worried Philip. "Is Simon your…best friend?"

"Of course he is, silly! He's my BFFF!" Amy elaborated after seeing Philip's confused expression. "My Best Flower Friend Forever! And so is Kieren. We are all BFFF's"

Philip's eyes widened; of course he knew that the boys were special for Amy but he had never guessed they meant that much to her and now he felt out of place, like he could never be able to achieve that status. He pouted but tried his best not to feel bad.

"And do you think I could be a BFFF too?"

"Sure, as long as you like flowers and adventures and vanilla ice cream. This is very important. If you think there is a better ice cream flavour than vanilla, I'm afraid it's not going to be possible"

Philip smiled, relieved. Vanilla ice cream was his favourite. Amy took that as a sign that everything was ok and kept on explaining him everything he needed to know in order to be a good BFFF.

"Kieren is an artist. He loves drawing and he does it splendidly well. He once drew this butterfly that was so colourful it looked real! He's great! And Simon knows everything that is there to know. He's always reading and he's great at singing too; he even knows how to play the guitar!"

As Amy told Philip all about her friends and adventures, the boy started feeling more and more at ease. She also told him about her grandmother and the films they watched together and how much she loved her and Philip couldn't be more enthralled by all the things that Amy was passionate about.

"Oh! And you have to know: Kieren is Van Gogh, Simon is Elvis and I am Lauren Bacall, a very beautiful girl that appears in grandma's films. She's so fantastic. You can pick a character too, but those are already taken" the girl explained and waited for Philip to make his choice.

He was trying to make up his mind between King Arthur and Robin Hood when he heard Shirley calling out his name. Philip didn't want the day to end, especially because he hadn't been able to apologise properly to Amy but his mother was already urging him to leave, so he had to say goodbye to Amy and promise to be back the following days so they could start having real adventures with the rest of the BFFF's.

The smile on Philip's face didn't fade at all, not even when his mother turned the lights off so he could sleep until the next morning.

* * *

DAYS 11-17

The next days were all bliss for Philip. Although Kieren and Simon were surprised of finding him with their best friend, they gradually abandoned their caution, gladly accepting the addition to the group. Besides, now that they were an even number, it was easier to play.

Philip spent that wonderful week between tales and games. He navigated the seven seas as a pirate; he explored outer space on board of the Enterprise; he escaped from dinosaurs and monsters. He played the bad guy along with 'Amy Moriarty' in a memorable adventure in which 'Kieren Holmes' and 'Simon Watson' did everything in their hands to catch them and enjoyed playing Ron Weasley when Amy decided they all had to act out Harry Potter's books.

Philip had suspected that Amy was a wonderful and unique girl, yet he never thought that she would turn his life around the way she did. In that week, he had more fun than ever and discovered so many things he lost count of them. Amy had been right; Kieren was an amazing painter that could turn any ordinary flower into a work of art and Simon always knew the right thing to say, creating the most interesting scenarios for their adventures.

As the week progressed, Philip grew more attached to the "flower girl", always so energetic and so eccentric in her ways and looks. She seemed to be braver than Philip himself and even when she could turn bossy when things didn't go the way she wanted them to, the charm she exuded was enough to cheer everyone around her up.

Some of those days, Simon would bring his record player and each one would bring a different book so they could share them or just daydream as they listened to the music. One day, Amy brought one of her favourites to share with Philip: a big book about flowers.

"Did you know there is a flower that follows the sun? It's called 'sunflower' and it's big and yellow and even if you take it inside your house, it's always going to be pointing towards the sun. If the sun moves, the flower follows, can you imagine?"

Philip was more than amazed with the apparently magical flower and with everything that had to do with Amy. He couldn't recall any other time in which he had felt so happy and carefree. But as it usually happens with all good things, it couldn't last forever.

* * *

DAY 18

Philip woke up after a particularly difficult night. He had eaten so many candies with his friends the previous day that he had a hard time sleeping. Still, it didn't prevent him from meeting them at the park.

He didn't panic when he arrived and found Simon and Kieren sitting on their own, no signs of Amy. She sometimes arrived a little late but it wasn't much trouble since she lived just a few blocks away from the playground. Philip greeted the present BFFF's and sat with them, pressing his football against his chest as they waited.

"So what do you want to do today?" asked Simon

"Amy said we could play ball together and then play knights", replied Philip enthusiastically.

Kieren and Simon looked at each other, concerned. Kieren was the first to speak.

"Haven't you heard, Phil? Amy is sick"

The grip on the football tightened as Philip tried to make sense of Kieren's words. "What…what do you mean sick?" asked the boy, frowning.

"I think it had something to do with all the candies we ate yesterday", explained Simon calmly.

"Yes, I had a bit of a stomach ache too. And from the four of us, Amy had the more candies", recalled Kieren. "But we shouldn't worry. I called her house in the morning and her grandmother said she would get better in a few days".

Philip was frozen in place. How could Simon and Kieren take things so lightly? Philip had seen lots of medical series on the telly, and he knew that no emergency could be taken lightly. Besides, Amy couldn't get sick because…well, because she was _Amy_, and no bag of candies could do anything to her.

Kieren and Simon stared confused as Philip quickly got up, leaving his football behind and rushing to the entrance of the park.

"Philip, your football!" shouted Kieren.

"It's alright, keep it! I'll be back!" replied Philip without turning back.

Under any other circumstances, he wouldn't have abandoned his things so carelessly, let alone leaving the place in which he was supposed to stay until his mother picked him up, but this was an urgent matter. He had to make sure Amy was alright, but more important, he had to cheer her up, to be there for her. Amy managed to light up his world like nobody else ever had, and now it was his turn to do something in return.

Philip was rushing to Amy's house when a flash of yellow caught his eye. And right there and then, he knew exactly what he had to do.

Amy had woken up with a full tummy and a sour taste in her mouth. She rarely regretted anything but after how much his stomach hurt, she was starting to reconsider her candy-eating habits. Still, she was lucky enough to have a wonderful grandmother who always knew exactly what to do to make her feel better, and although she was disappointed because she couldn't go to the park to play with her friends, she would never turn down a nice and hot cup of tea and a film marathon with her beloved grandma.

But her body was fighting indigestion, leaving her weak and by the time she finished her tea, all she wanted to do was have a few more hours of sleep. She had been drowsing for about an hour when she heard a thump near her window, to which she paid no mind. A few more minutes passed when a louder noise definitely woke her up. This time, Amy was fully alert and the next noise didn't surprise her.

The sound grew louder and Amy held her breath, uncertain of what to do next. Just when the noise seemed to be right under her window and she was about to call her grandmother, a yellow flower emerged. It was very beautiful and seemed to capture and amplify the sunlight that streamed through her window.

Amy got up from her bed and approached the flower. She looked out her window, wondering how it had gotten there but she found nothing suspicious. She smelled it and smiled as she headed to the bungalow's sitting room. She had to ask something to her grandmother.

Philip was almost out of breath when he reached the playground, but the thrill of his race was nothing compared to what awaited him back at the park. He caught sight of Kieren and Simon talking animatedly, yet there was something odd with their expressions; it was just as if they were…worried. A cold drop of sweat ran down Philip's back.

As he made his way towards his friends, he discovered Sue Walker standing behind her son and comforting someone who looked oddly familiar, almost like…his mother! Philip felt a knot tighten in his throat, but he kept on walking, guilt creeping up his chest.

When he emerged from behind the bushes, Shirley ran towards him, hugging him and crying. Philip didn't know how to react; after all, she wasn't supposed to be back until a few more hours. After the initial outburst, Shirley held him at arm's length, a serious expression on her face.

"Do you have any idea of how scared I've been? I finish my shopping early and I come to find Sue Walker and the boys but no sign of you, Philip! Your friends were concerned! I was concerned! Where were you?"

There it was, the feared question. Philip started fidgeting, trying to find a way to make his actions seem reasonable enough but his attempts were interrupted by a very particular voice.

"Philip!"

The boy turned back to find Amy running towards him, her colourful skirts shuffling, the yellow flower in her hand. She stopped right in front of him, trying to catch her breath but with a big smile on her face.

"Thanks for the flower, it's moregeous!" exclaimed the girl and bent forward to place a kiss on Philip's cheek.

Then everything made sense. Sue Walker couldn't help but smile affectionately, as well as Amy's grandmother, who had followed her granddaughter all the way from the bungalow to the park. Kieren and Simon shared knowing looks and Shirley just seemed perplexed. Amy noticed and smiled at her.

"Hello Ms Wilson, my name is Amy Dyer and your son is my best friend"

She held her free hand out for Shirley to shake. And even though Shirley understood the reasons why her son had rushed off to hand the little girl a flower, she still had to ground him. However, it didn't matter.

It didn't matter that he had to stay in for a whole week and do some house chores. It didn't matter that he was reprehended by Shirley or mocked by Gary and his friends at the distant, nor the fact that the flower Amy held in her hand wasn't even a sunflower. All of that paled before the grand scheme of things, because Amy had kissed Philip. And that was something nobody could take away from him.

THE END

_Well, aren't those two cute? I'm thinking about posting a side chapter with a small drabble inspired on the BFFF's games. I just can't resist the idea of them playing Sherlock or HP, can you? Reviews are greatly appreciated, containing any kind of constructive criticism or anything else you want to express. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and if you liked it, it'd be an honour if you checked the rest of my stories. Cheers!_


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